Dear President Obama & Mitt Romney… Don’t Forget About the Hood

Pittsburgh activist/ artist Jasiri X just dropped an incredible song and video called ‘Don’t Forget About the Hood‘.. Here’s what he penned with respect to the election and concept behind the video..

After three debates, with only a passing mention of the violence in Chicago by the President, I felt someone had to say something on behalf of the poor and inner city communities. And yes I know that Mitt Romney has basically written off anyone making less than six figures, but why is Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya more important than 46.2 million people who live below the poverty line right here in America?

Directed by Emmai Alaquiva, “Don’t Forget About The Hood” illustrates how the issues of the poor and urban communities have been all but forgotten in this current election season, and wonders what happened to all of the energy and organizing that took place in the wake of the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin.

The view that anyone with an ounce of common sense should realize is that “the hood” has already been “forgotten”. That’s why it’s “the hood”. The real rallying cry should be for people who live there to truly realize they are worth more and to do everything in their power to leave and make a better live for themselves without rhetoric or self illusion. Of course the paradox is that most people that live in those communities don’t have an educated lineage that allows them to think along those lines let alone act in that manner, but it’s still the only option I see available.
And I’m saying this with the assumption that the term “The hood” eludes to underclass communities , not particularly black communities.

Fuck the upcoming (s)elections. Obama is no better than Romney. Neither of them has a ‘middle class’ economic status, so their focus on tax breaks, etc. for ‘the middle class’ is nothing but a sound byte. What is of note here is this great piece by Jasiri X, the same person who brought us “Do We Need to Start a Riot?” in July…He’s the one focusing on reality. Anyone voting for someone who is NOT representing our best interests needs to re-think voting – because it is not, nor has it ever been – nor will it ever be – a tool of empowerment for the grassroots, the oppressed, those of us in the hood as long as fools like obama-romney-bu$h-it-clinton, et. al are in power.